Michael Golemo

Chair, Department of Music

Michael Golemo is Professor and Chair of the Music Department and Director of Bands at Iowa State University. In addition to his administrative duties, he conducts the Wind Ensemble, the top concert band at Iowa State. A native of Chicago, he received his Bachelor of Music Education and Master of Music degrees from Northwestern University where he studied conducting with John P. Paynter and saxophone with Frederick Hemke. He completed his doctorate in wind conducting at Michigan State University under Kenneth Bloomquist and John Whitwell. Dr. Golemo previously served as Assistant Director of Bands at The University of Akron (OH), and prior to that as Director of Bands at Albion College (MI).

Dr. Golemo is an active guest conductor and adjudicator, the director of the Ames Municipal Band, and an annual guest conductor of the Mount Prospect (IL) Community Band. He holds memberships in the College Band Directors National Association, the National Band Association, Iowa Bandmasters Association, Pi Kappa Lambda Music Honorary, Phi Kappa Phi Academic Honorary, Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia, Phi Beta Mu Bandmasters, and is an honorary member of the Cardinal Key Honor Society and both Tau Beta Sigma and Kappa Kappa Psi. In 2007, Dr. Golemo was elected to membership in the prestigious American Bandmasters Association.

With over 300 instrumental arrangements, transcriptions and compositions to his credit, Dr. Golemo has had works performed by a variety of performers and ensembles, including Louie Bellson, Wynton Marsalis, Anita Baker, Simon Estes, William Warfield, the Akron Symphony Orchestra and the Des Moines Symphony. His music is published by Ludwig Music Publishers, Dorn Publications, Santa Barbara Music Publishers, Daehn Publications, and Great Works Publishing.

As a saxophonist, he has performed with the Akron Symphony Orchestra, the Cleveland Jazz Orchestra, the Chicago Bears Jazz Band, Natalie Cole, The Temptations, The Spinners, The Four Tops, Ray Charles, Diane Schuur, Robert Goulet, Red Skelton, Ed Ames, the Rockettes, the Ringling Brothers Circus, Mitzi Gaynor, Hal Linden, Jerry Vale, Patti Page, Florence Henderson, and over 20 other headline acts.

Dr. Golemo is a past National President (1999-2001) of Kappa Kappa Psi Honorary Band Fraternity and served for several years as a member of their Board of Trustees. He is the Iowa state chair for the National Band Association, the College Band Directors National Association, and is a past President of the Big XII Band Directors Association.

Under his direction, the Iowa State University Wind Ensemble has performed three times for the Iowa Bandmasters Association convention (2009, 2004, 2000). They have also performed in Minneapolis' Orchestra Hall, Chicago's Orchestra Hall at Symphony Center, and Omaha's Holland Center for the Performing Arts.